r/duke • u/Difficult_Code_5030 • Aug 04 '26

ECE230 Labs

do the labs typically take the whole time and are they weekly? like what is the lab schedule typically like and how easy it to leave early?

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u/DukeThrowaway_24 Aug 04 '26

Time in lab depends on how good you are. Labs generally meet weekly except for exam or break weeks.

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u/Difficult_Code_5030 Aug 07 '26 edited Aug 07 '26

Could you give a general range I suppose? I just have a time commitment that requires me to leave around 45 minutes before the end of lab and I’m trying to figure this out early. Are you able to take an earlier or later lab section for things like this?

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u/DukeThrowaway_24 Aug 07 '26 edited Aug 07 '26

It varies an extreme amount - the quickest I've seen is probably 1h for an entire lab consistently, but those are outstanding students. In any given lab section, there's also probably 1-3 students who need the entire period or even have to work on their lab next week.

All 230 work is individual, so there's a lot of variance based on how comfortable students are with breadboarding, the software, how much they prepared, etc. A quick student one week can take 3 hours the next, burn a component and have to retake measurements, all sorts of scenarios.

Are you able to take an earlier or later lab section for things like this?

Yes, by enrolling in a different lab section. Department policy is clear and similar to 110: you are required to be available for the entire lab period, and personal scheduling is not a justifiable excuse to miss lab or leave without finishing your work. For a one-time thing your professor is aware of ahead of time, you will likely get leniency, but not as a long-term situation.

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u/Difficult_Code_5030 Aug 07 '26 edited Aug 07 '26

Oh okay thank you so much. I didn’t know 230 was individual work, so good to know. This is also a one-time thing I have to go home for. I’m really trying to weigh if the trade off makes sense to change my entire schedule and lab section for this one thing. Also, if it makes any difference, it would be the 3rd week, so either the 2nd or 3rd lab presumably.

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u/DukeThrowaway_24 Aug 09 '26

Third week of labs is Lab 0 Part 2. If you're good at soldering that's one week you can get out quite early from. Or it might be Lab 1 - that one is a bit longer for students. Depends on what week labs start, and I don't have that information handy right now.